Wicked Rake, Defiant Mistress

When a mysterious woman holds him at gunpoint, Garrick Le Clere, Marquess of Beauworth, knows he's finally met his match! With her home lost to creditors, Lady Eleanor Hadley has been forced to take drastic steps. She's without hope--until the notorious rake offers a way out of her predicament.... Garrick soon discovers that his new mistress is a virgin, and a lady--with aWhen a mysterious woman holds him at gunpoint, Garrick Le Clere, Marquess of Beauworth, knows he's finally met his match! With her home lost to creditors, Lady Eleanor Hadley has been forced to take drastic steps. She's without hope--until the notorious rake offers a way out of her predicament.... Garrick soon discovers that his new mistress is a virgin, and a lady--with a dangerous secret life! But the pleasure she brings may be just what he needs to soothe the pain from his past. ...more

ebook, 288 pages

Published
May 1st 2010
by Harlequin Special Releases
(first published 2009)

Community Reviews

I wasn't sure what to expect with this story. I knew the plot was familiar, Lady down on her luck and ends up mistress to the Lord, and never have read anything from Ann Lethbridge before I kinda expected a kind of cookie cutter story. That was not at all how this book turned out. She took the familiar theme and then made it fresh and exciting. I know I will be looking for more of her books and if I had paid money for this book I would have thought that I surely had gotten my moneys worth.

EleanoI wasn't sure what to expect with this story. I knew the plot was familiar, Lady down on her luck and ends up mistress to the Lord, and never have read anything from Ann Lethbridge before I kinda expected a kind of cookie cutter story. That was not at all how this book turned out. She took the familiar theme and then made it fresh and exciting. I know I will be looking for more of her books and if I had paid money for this book I would have thought that I surely had gotten my moneys worth.

Eleanor (h), while her twin brother was out of the country fighting the war, had lost most of her family money. She had her younger sister and some loyal family servents to take care of and not really seeing any other options decided to become a highwayman. She blames Garrick (H) for calling in the mortage of her estate and so she holds up his carraige one night.

Garrick, feeling guilty over something he was wrongly (unknowingly to him) accused of, couldn't wait to join the army. He just had to settle some things with his uncle first.On his way to see his uncle he's held up by some women highwayman and a ring that was his fathers was taken. Now he has to stay long enough to catch her and get his father's ring back.

There are many twists and turns in this story befor they get their HEA but it's a fun adventure and a great story....more

Another disappointing freebie.Not really bad, not poorly written but not really good either.Both characterization and timelines seemed off to me. Let's start with the characterization. The hero is supposedly a rake. However he's just 24, sometimes behaves as if he just turned 18 and his main achievement to confirm his rake reputation is not having had a relationship for more than 3 months. At 24, it did not seem that weird to me and certainly not enough to warrant such a fake moniker and reputatAnother disappointing freebie.Not really bad, not poorly written but not really good either.Both characterization and timelines seemed off to me. Let's start with the characterization. The hero is supposedly a rake. However he's just 24, sometimes behaves as if he just turned 18 and his main achievement to confirm his rake reputation is not having had a relationship for more than 3 months. At 24, it did not seem that weird to me and certainly not enough to warrant such a fake moniker and reputation. In my book, he is not and never would be a real rake. Then the defiant heroine. Supposedly she's 3 years after her come-out that did not occur - hence 20-21. However she behaves with all the maturity of a 16-17 years old. At best! And the brain the size of a pea. How she could have squandered her family money like she did was unrealistic at best and her remedies to that situation completely brainless. Every time she appeared on the page, I wanted to slap her back into reality. TSTL is not an adjective I often use but I really can't think of another better one for her.Her brother is an overbearing and inconsistent ass, who did not seem to be the same age as the heroine at all; though as twins, they should have been. The younger sister made her come-out 4 years after the beginning of the story. And I believed during the whole first part that she could not have been more than 8 years old, 10 if I really stretched it....more

The idea of a noblewoman making her life as a thief was what initially got my attention. I thought this was going to be a story of a wealthy and yet immoral couple, who lived by the means of thievery just because.Just too bad that Eleanor's personality resembles more of an impulsive teenager rather than a skilled thief.Skills. ha. Her wish.

Yeah, The angst horny hero didn't help either.

The writing is alright, albeit way too sappy for my liking. Lost intereInteresting premise, but poorly executed.

The idea of a noblewoman making her life as a thief was what initially got my attention. I thought this was going to be a story of a wealthy and yet immoral couple, who lived by the means of thievery just because.Just too bad that Eleanor's personality resembles more of an impulsive teenager rather than a skilled thief.Skills. ha. Her wish.

Yeah, The angst horny hero didn't help either.

The writing is alright, albeit way too sappy for my liking. Lost interest halfway trough. And since I got the free kindle version from amazon, I don't really feel the obligation of finishing it.

I will leave the paperback sitting by me to read at a later date when I'm more relaxed. I believe the story itself will be entertaining and intriguing, but I am having a difficult time actually reading the book. I was looking for a few hours of mindless entertainment, and this title was making it feel more like work.

my issues with this title:

1: Writing style.

2: Author's voice.

3: The use of 'single' quotation marks- or as theNot a true DNF, more of an on-hold, so I will not rate at this time.

I will leave the paperback sitting by me to read at a later date when I'm more relaxed. I believe the story itself will be entertaining and intriguing, but I am having a difficult time actually reading the book. I was looking for a few hours of mindless entertainment, and this title was making it feel more like work.

my issues with this title:

1: Writing style.

2: Author's voice.

3: The use of 'single' quotation marks- or as the rest of the literary world calls them, Apostrophes- to bookend all dialogue. I've never witnessed this before in a published print book from a well-known publisher. It was odd, as well as the other editing issues that are usually resolved during the editing process.

4: Buried dialogue within 3/4 of a page-length paragraphs. This would have been easier to decipher were it with 'plural' quotation marks, but the use of apostrophes caused the dialogue to blend in. Dividing the paragraphs would have resolved this issue, as well as using actual quotation marks.

5: AND being used as the first word of several sentences per page, on every page. It's jarring to read a sequence not written in a sequence.

As I said, I believe the premise to be intriguing and entertaining, so I will come back at a later date when these issues won't annoy me as they are now....more

This is the first Ann Lethbridge novel I have read and I was not disappointed. The opening chapter pulled me in 'The anger burning in the Marquess of Beauworth's throat tasted of bile and bitter regret. While the horses thundered through shadows and moonlit tracts of rolling Sussex landscape, Garrick fought the urge to turn back for London.'This is how I love to begin a book, Ms Lethbridge immediately had my interest and I wanted to know why! If the first page grabs me, I'm hooked.Garrick Le CleThis is the first Ann Lethbridge novel I have read and I was not disappointed. The opening chapter pulled me in 'The anger burning in the Marquess of Beauworth's throat tasted of bile and bitter regret. While the horses thundered through shadows and moonlit tracts of rolling Sussex landscape, Garrick fought the urge to turn back for London.'This is how I love to begin a book, Ms Lethbridge immediately had my interest and I wanted to know why! If the first page grabs me, I'm hooked.Garrick Le Clere, flawed and reckless meets his match with the bold, fearless lady, who holds him up at gunpoint to steal his valuables.The story unfolds with many twists and turns and a passionate love affair between Garrick and Ellie.I don't want to give anymore of the story away, except to say that there are a lot of misunderstandings, double dealing and bullying to resolve before Garrick and Ellie have the happy ending they deserve.Thoroughly recommended. I hope the rest of your books are as good Ms. Lethbridge. ...more

I will state right up front, this is a cracking good read, I could not put it down, I read it all in almost one sitting. The action begins right out of the gate, when bored, young, idle and reckless rake Garrick Le Clare, is held up by a robber, a woman no less! Before she can steal his valuables, Garrick steals a passionate kiss. He is knocked out by her accomplice, ( a soldier friend of her late father's) and when Garrick comes to, he feels foolish. He wants to find this woman, who set him onI will state right up front, this is a cracking good read, I could not put it down, I read it all in almost one sitting. The action begins right out of the gate, when bored, young, idle and reckless rake Garrick Le Clare, is held up by a robber, a woman no less! Before she can steal his valuables, Garrick steals a passionate kiss. He is knocked out by her accomplice, ( a soldier friend of her late father's) and when Garrick comes to, he feels foolish. He wants to find this woman, who set him on fire, but made a fool of him as well. She even stole his boots!

The robber, is 19 year old Eleanor Hadley, forced by circumstances to take to the road to make ends meet. Of course, the source of her misery, lost home and reduced circumstances is the Marquess of Beaworth, Garrick himself! She takes on the name Ellie Brown, and she has to take a small cottage for her and her younger sister.

It is in this small village, that Garrick meets Ellie. He is immediately taken with her sweet nature, and Ellie, well, she never forgot that kiss out on the road when she held him up.Determined to get back his signet ring, and perhaps some of his dignity.

I loved the way the relationship slowly developed between Ellie and Garrick. Revenge and guilt soon turn into passion and desire, and by the end of the summer, love, though neither never admit to it.And Garrick has his own past, and secrets, of which I will not reveal.

In situations like this, misunderstandings abound. And while the ending held no real surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the H/H dynamic.

This book was very readable, it flowed extremely well, the characters well drawn. I particularly liked Garrick, his passionate ways, his dark family secrets. Yes, he was tortured to a point.And Ellie was a strong heroine, admirable, as she would do anything to protect her family, almost to the determent of her own happiness. A rousing adventure filled with passion....more

Traveling back to his family pile, Garrick Le Clere, aka the Marquess of Beauworth is held up by a highwayman…err, woman. Forced to hand over his expensive personal items, a price he paid for stepping out of the coach without a weapon, Garrick cannot help but be taken in by the woman who is clearly emulating a figure in history. Playing up to that, Garrick steals a kiss before her sidekick puts him down.

Eleanor Hadley has been forced by circumstances outside of her control to attempt to acquireTraveling back to his family pile, Garrick Le Clere, aka the Marquess of Beauworth is held up by a highwayman…err, woman. Forced to hand over his expensive personal items, a price he paid for stepping out of the coach without a weapon, Garrick cannot help but be taken in by the woman who is clearly emulating a figure in history. Playing up to that, Garrick steals a kiss before her sidekick puts him down.

Eleanor Hadley has been forced by circumstances outside of her control to attempt to acquire funds anyway she can – the latest idea being highway robbery. Her older brother was killed, her other brother is still off in India and Eleanor has her younger sister to think of and a debt that absolutely must be paid. When she realises just who she held up and how he might be more useful, she puts into action yet another plan.

Garrick, still smarting from his robbery and looking to get revenge on the chit that made a fool of him ends up meeting a young villagewoman by the name of Ellie and her sister. He is beyond shocked when he realises that the lovely young girl from the village is none other than his robber and that she isn’t finished with him yet. Nor is he finished with her…

I got this story for my Kindle a long time ago – probably not long after I got the Kindle, which was in late 2010. I stocked up on freebies for a while, just following links I saw to them on twitter before I realised that a lot of the time, they weren’t very good. Nevertheless I still have a folder on my Kindle for freebies and the other night I was looking for a bit of a historical romance to read and discovered this one. It sounded alright so I thought I’d give it a go.

It’s quite a decent story – Garrick is an heir but he’s spent much of his time away from the family home, allowing his guardian and uncle to run things. He would much prefer to be in the army, staying away from home to help alleviate the feeling of guilt he has over something he believes he did when he was younger. He rarely ever returns home and when he is robbed, they take his signet ring. It’s one of the few things he cares about and he is determined to track down the little thief so that he can get it back.

Eleanor has been forced to play head of the family since her older brother was killed. While she awaits the younger one to return from fighting overseas, she must provide for herself and her younger sister. It is Garrick’s uncle that held the mortgage and he called it in, forcing Ellie to turn to desperate measures in order to survive. She and Garrick have a complex relationship that is at first two relationships – the highway robber and the victim and Garrick’s befriending her and her sister in the village.

Despite an obvious and mutual attraction, the path to love does not run smoothly in this one. There’s a lot of secrets, quite a lot of backstabbing going on and two relatives that seemed utterly determined to keep Ellie and Garrick apart. This works for a little while but then it does become quite a bit overly dramatic and just…get on with it already. There’s a large gap of time after Ellie rejects Garrick where they don’t see each other for many years and then he returns and it seems like everything starts again – there’s still the attraction, but there’s blackmailing and bitter family members and some more drama and attempts on other people’s lives. It started off quite strongly but once we got past the highway robbery story I lost quite a bit of interest. I’d have liked to see more on that, maybe have Ellie remain unknown to Garrick for longer. Instead it became all about Garrick’s family and this supposed curse which was quite weak. There was never any evidence that it existed, especially concerning Garrick and he remained utterly convinced it did. It was distracting and not in a good way.

Promising start and relatively entertaining but not quite the story I thought it was going to be. Ended up with too many diversions and too many bit players. Would’ve preferred it kept more to Ellie and Garrick....more

The beginning was really grab -your-throat type intriguing. It wasn't very clear why the heroine had to take the very desperate steps and lie all the time but still the author generated enough interest to hook the reader. As I read on, I realised that every time the story settled, a fresh, quite unforeseen twist was added. This worked to quite an extent but also took the story far away from its original fresh idea. Sometimes one did feel like shaking some sense into the characters but on the whoThe beginning was really grab -your-throat type intriguing. It wasn't very clear why the heroine had to take the very desperate steps and lie all the time but still the author generated enough interest to hook the reader. As I read on, I realised that every time the story settled, a fresh, quite unforeseen twist was added. This worked to quite an extent but also took the story far away from its original fresh idea. Sometimes one did feel like shaking some sense into the characters but on the whole I liked the wrap up...read more at http://summeritarhayne.com/2015/03/17......more

Actually ok. There was a story that spanned a time period and had a few other characters and a hint of intrigue. The main character started out being pretty decent and then rapidly fell into standard patterns. Nice length too. It didn't hold my attention though which is why I kept coming back to it in fits and starts - like a pudding you want to finish but it's actually not as tasty as you thought.

I really enjoy Ann lethbridge historical books. This book has everything scandal romance family issues and love HEA. I like that Ellie is strong independent woman that without her brother is trying to keep her family from being homeless. Her plan not great but is funny at times. I really like the relationship between Ellie and Garrick it's not perfect but works for them. Love sissy and dan hope they get it together.

This was one of those frothy historical romances that are fast and fun to read. Garrick and Ellie were interesting characters, although I did want to give Ellie a swift kick to the petticoats when she continually put everybody else's wants above her own.

My only complaint was that I wanted to see more of the Le Clere curse that haunted Garrick's family. It's mentioned several times but for something that's defined Garrick's life so completely it's kinda glossed over at the end. Seriously, with thThis was one of those frothy historical romances that are fast and fun to read. Garrick and Ellie were interesting characters, although I did want to give Ellie a swift kick to the petticoats when she continually put everybody else's wants above her own.

My only complaint was that I wanted to see more of the Le Clere curse that haunted Garrick's family. It's mentioned several times but for something that's defined Garrick's life so completely it's kinda glossed over at the end. Seriously, with the way it was being described in the beginning I was starting to get excited that he was going to wolf out under the full moon or something. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

Still, it was a fun read. Like I said, nothing too heavy but a pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon.

I really enjoy Ann lethbridge historical books. This book has everything scandal romance family issues and love HEA. I like that Ellie is strong independent woman that without her brother is trying to keep her family from being homeless. Her plan not great but is funny at times. I really like the relationship between Ellie and Garrick it's not perfect but works for them. Love sissy and dan hope they get it together.

Wow - what a ride. Lethbridge knows how to put her characters through the paces and dish out the drama. Lady Eleanor, after losing her family's money, is bent on gaining it back before her twin William returns from war. So she dons a mask and a scabbard and patrols the highways late at night to steal what she can to help her sister and herself survive. One night, she holds up the wrong man. Garrick, Marquess of Beauworth (the wicked rake).

The two set upon a wild, curving ride. They're both so sWow - what a ride. Lethbridge knows how to put her characters through the paces and dish out the drama. Lady Eleanor, after losing her family's money, is bent on gaining it back before her twin William returns from war. So she dons a mask and a scabbard and patrols the highways late at night to steal what she can to help her sister and herself survive. One night, she holds up the wrong man. Garrick, Marquess of Beauworth (the wicked rake).

The two set upon a wild, curving ride. They're both so stubborn and unable to admit their feelings that it takes them ages to finally get it together! But when they do, it's forever.

The love scenes in this book were hot, the humor heavy, and the characters deep. Ellie is easily relatable and readers will find themselves quickly falling for the rake with the dark side. ...more

The heroine is so desperate for money that she's taken to robbing coaches like a highwayman--or the local legendary highway-woman. The hero is one of the guys she robs, and he's attracted, but vows vengeance. Then he meets the heroine in town, out of her robber garb, and thinks she's lovely and innocent. The double-identity foolery doesn't last too long, but the discovery of the truth lets all sorts of things go. The heroine's brother is a mortal enemy of the hero and causes trouble. Other stranThe heroine is so desperate for money that she's taken to robbing coaches like a highwayman--or the local legendary highway-woman. The hero is one of the guys she robs, and he's attracted, but vows vengeance. Then he meets the heroine in town, out of her robber garb, and thinks she's lovely and innocent. The double-identity foolery doesn't last too long, but the discovery of the truth lets all sorts of things go. The heroine's brother is a mortal enemy of the hero and causes trouble. Other strange things are happening.

This story had some good elements, but the villain was over-the-top and maybe a unnecessary, and it felt a bit spasmodic in places. I liked the hero and heroine--it was a good enough read, just a bit uneven....more

I acquired this book through Mills & Boons as part of their free book giveaway.

Lady Eleanor, or Ellie, plays the role of highway robber. Garrick is her victim. Of course, he doesn’t know that fact when he meets her later. He’s momentarily caught up between two women that occupy his thoughts—until he reconciles them as being one and the same.

This story is very mainstream and perhaps a little cookie-cutter like in terms of Regencies. But, it’s well written and provides an enjoyable way to pasI acquired this book through Mills & Boons as part of their free book giveaway.

Lady Eleanor, or Ellie, plays the role of highway robber. Garrick is her victim. Of course, he doesn’t know that fact when he meets her later. He’s momentarily caught up between two women that occupy his thoughts—until he reconciles them as being one and the same.

This story is very mainstream and perhaps a little cookie-cutter like in terms of Regencies. But, it’s well written and provides an enjoyable way to pass the time. The chemistry between the characters is strong and engaging. I did especially enjoy the scene where Garrick is tied up in the barn and escapes.

One of Mills & Boons Everybody's Reading free giveaways. In her brother's absence, Lady Eleanor Hadley turns to robbing to repay her family's debts until she stops the wrong carriage and robs the Marquess of Beauworth. The attraction's instant, and soon the Marquess turns the tables on her.

While the story promises an ass-kicking heroine, Ellie -- after her brief stint as a highwaywoman -- has little control over the events that happen and is relegated to obeying the commands of her brother.One of Mills & Boons Everybody's Reading free giveaways. In her brother's absence, Lady Eleanor Hadley turns to robbing to repay her family's debts until she stops the wrong carriage and robs the Marquess of Beauworth. The attraction's instant, and soon the Marquess turns the tables on her.

While the story promises an ass-kicking heroine, Ellie -- after her brief stint as a highwaywoman -- has little control over the events that happen and is relegated to obeying the commands of her brother. The jump halfway through the book to four years in the future was also jarring. I wish the author had just stuck to Ellie's exploits as a thief and not switched to ton politics halfway through....more

Firstly, this one was a quick read, it kept me engaged & although I would have preferred the plot focus more on the Napoleonic war, which does play a significant party in the plot, but then I'm a fab if Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novel so, take that with a pinch of salt if you aren't!

The basic premise is that a Lady disguises herself as a highway man & holds up the carriage of a Marquis, whose mistress she later becomes, albeit temporarily.

It's not bad, but it's also not one that I am likFirstly, this one was a quick read, it kept me engaged & although I would have preferred the plot focus more on the Napoleonic war, which does play a significant party in the plot, but then I'm a fab if Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novel so, take that with a pinch of salt if you aren't!

The basic premise is that a Lady disguises herself as a highway man & holds up the carriage of a Marquis, whose mistress she later becomes, albeit temporarily.

It's not bad, but it's also not one that I am likely to read again, which is a pity, because the concept is really good. I certainly wouldn't dis-count the author either, the concept indicates definite potential....more

I liked this as a short read, however there were a few formatting a typo issues- Castlefield and Beauworth seemed to get hyphenated in odd ways however this could have been the kindle format. Overall an enjoyable, if stock read. The characters were fun but perhaps in a longer book more could have been done. The villain was suitably unpleasant if his motives were a little vague.

The premise of this book seemed like it would have been interesting since it was stated on the back that the heroine was going to be the hero's mistress before the inevitable marriage, but she turned out to be the hero's mistress for one chapter only before he was proposing marriage, and the storyline was not engaging enough to keep my attention as the mistress theme was the allure for me.

This was a quick easy read for a Saturday morning. I enjoyed the romance, the passion and the plot. I really felt for both Garrick and Ellie and they were real people with real feelings. I did think that Le Clere was a bit too much the bastard, especially since his evil was topped off by him also selling information to the French. But a good read.

Ok, its a Mills and Boon book, but I was expecting more. Neither of the characters live up to their descriptions of rake or defiant and although as expected, things don't go smoothly, everything seems to sort it self out too easily.

Freebie. 2.5 stars. The author managed to cram a lot into a short novel. The heroine and hero meet as Eleanor attempts at being a highwaywoman in order to try and save her family's estate from debt. More hijinks and heartbreak ensue, mostly because Garrick and Eleanor aren't always truthful with each other.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.Quite pacy and adventerous for a romance, lots of plot twists. The heroine does pull something of a Too Stupid To Live move near the end, but I forgave her. And if the hero (close to her but in diguise at that point) had warned her she was in danger she might not have done it anyway, so I'll blame him.

This was just an ok Book for me.. I liked the character Ellie...Garrick should have stood up for her sooner but I understand he had to get his uncle.. but like I said It was ok...I probably will read additional books by this author.

Well I go a kick out of this book. A little unbelievable if you ask me in terms of Garrick grabbing Eleanor and kissing her while she robbing him... then the time passing... But overall I can disregard that because come on it's a book.

This book was a fun romantic caper. Strong female lead. Loved that she was a highwaywoman who knew her way around swords and horses. Got to love a hero who can seduce a woman with his hands tied...literally!

An army brat born in England and now living in Canada, Ann grew up loving history, but majored in business, with history on the side. She has a husband and two lovely daughters and a Maltese Terrier called Teaser, who likes to sit on a chair beside the computer while she works.

Her love of the past and the stories in her imagination led her to write her firstAKA Michèle Ann Young (Goodreads Author)

An army brat born in England and now living in Canada, Ann grew up loving history, but majored in business, with history on the side. She has a husband and two lovely daughters and a Maltese Terrier called Teaser, who likes to sit on a chair beside the computer while she works.

Her love of the past and the stories in her imagination led her to write her first novel in 2000, a never-see-the-light-of-day-effort, and after having her first book published in 2006, she knew she'd found her niche.

She loves the Georgian era, and within that, the period known as the long Regency. She also adores happy endings.

You will find her books in bookstores in the month of issue, as well as on line at Mills and Boon or E-harlequin. ...more